COLLEGE SIGNING: Spring-Ford's Eckman headed to East Stroudsburg

Photo by John Strickler/The Mercury
Spring-Ford’s Tyler Eckman signs his letter to attend East Stroudsburg University. At left are his parents Brian and Debbie Eckman and baseball coaches Bruce Brobst and Jamie Scheck.

ROYERSFORD — The bigger the situation, the more Tyler Eckman wants the baseball, according to his coaches.

The Spring-Ford senior is hoping to have plenty more of those opportunities in the future as he prepares to play at the next level.

Eckman, a right-hander who was a Mercury All-Area and All PAC-10 second team selection last year, recently signed a letter-of-intent to accept a scholarship to attend East Stroudsburg University and play baseball for the Division II Warriors.

“I just felt like I was more wanted there,” said Eckman, who also considered schools such as Shippensburg and Neumann. “I felt like that would be more of a home, and I could see myself fitting in there the best.”

Advertisement

East Stroudsburg, which competes in the always-tough Eastern Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, went 8-15-1 in the division and 24-21-1 overall last season. Sixth-year ESU coach John Kochmansky has posted a 154-131-2 career mark.

“It’s good Division II baseball,” Eckman said. “I really like the coaches and being around the team, and I’m looking forward to competing come next year (in 2013-14).”

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Eckman helped Spring-Ford reach the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship last spring, then enjoyed a stellar summer season for Spring City, which finished second in both the Pennsylvania State and Mid-Atlantic National Regional Tournaments. He was also a member of the Chester County Carpenter Cup squad.

With a fastball that topped out at 89 miles an hour to go along with a consistent curve and change, Eckman posted a 10-2 mark with a 1.89 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 76 innings for Spring City.

“Tyler’s fastball was lively all summer,” said Jamie Scheck, the outgoing Red Sox manager and current Spring-Ford assistant. “But I think the greatest thing about him was that he had like seven to eight strikeouts for every walk. A lot of games he threw seven innings, and his pitch count was under 90. He was efficient with all of his pitches and throwing them all for strikes. The thing that impressed me the most was he always wanted the ball in big games.”

Spring-Ford coach Bruce Brobst noticed that during the scholastic season, when Eckman took the mound in the penultimate league game against Methacton, which had beaten the Rams. 10-5. in their first meeting. Eckman responded by firing a seven-hit complete game in a 4-1 victory.

“I was really impressed with his ability to focus and pitch a great game against one of the best hitting teams in the league,” Brobst said. “It told me a lot about him as a baseball player.

“Tyler’s greatest attributes are his determination and confidence in his abilities. He believes in his ability to get the job done. He wants to win and will do everything he can to help the team win.”

Eckman did that on a number of occasions over the summer, firing a no-hitter in an 8-0 victory over Downingtown and a two-hit shutout in a 10-0 win over West Chester during the American Legion regular season

He tossed seven innings of two-hit shutout ball in a 12-2 state Region Three Tournament opener over Ivy Ridge, then a five-hitter in a 7-1 regional championship victory over Conestoga. A week later in the Pennsylvania American Legion State Tournament, he fired a three-hitter in a 5-1 opening-round win over Boyertown. He then came back the next week in the Mid-Atlantic Regional and threw 7.1 effective innings in a 6-4 win over Stahl Post, Del.

“I feel like I can challenge people with my fastball, but can also come back with my curve and change to get people out as well,” Eckman said. “Last season was definitely a big jump for me. All three of my pitches were working well, and I wasn’t afraid to pitch against anyone. I would just like to keep doing what I’m doing this season, and as long as I keep improving, I’ll be fine.”

NOTES

A member of the SADD and German Club as well as a member of the PAC-10 golf championship team at Spring-Ford, Eckman — the son of Brian and Debbie Eckman — plans to pursue a business-related major. ... Owen J. Roberts graduate Robbie Patete led ESU in batting average last year (.365).